“By end of calendar year 26 entire country would be working only on 5G:” Piyush Goyal

NEW DELHI: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, on Tuesday outlined India’s ambitious technological and infrastructural roadmap at the India-Israel Business Forum, emphasizing rapid advancements in 5G connectivity, infrastructure expansion, and public welfare programs.

He said, “By end of calendar 26 the entire country would be working only on 5G. We have already started developing our indigenous technology for 6G for telecom connectivity.”

The minister underlined India’s impressive infrastructure progress, stating that in the last decade, India has doubled its port capacity and expanded its airport network from 74 to over 150, with plans to increase this figure to 225 airports within the next five to six years.

The country has also made remarkable strides in highways and roadways while initiating 114 inland waterways to strengthen its transportation network.

On the public welfare front, Goyal emphasized the government’s commitment to providing affordable housing, stating that 40 million homes have been built for the poorest sections of society in the past decade, with an additional 30 million set to be constructed in the next five years. He noted that this initiative will ensure 25 per cent of the most underprivileged population has a proper home.

Further, he underscored efforts to provide universal access to electricity and digital connectivity, with 160 million households already receiving clean drinking water through tap connections.

Goyal said, “We have ensured that every family in the country every home in the country going beyond even these 70 million gets electricity, gets digital connectivity. Already about 160 million homes have been connected with water from a tap directly at home. In the next 2, two and a half years, every home will receive water coming directly from a tap.”

He added, “Every home in the country today has a cooking gas connection so they are not dependent on traditional means of cooking. We are now moving towards pipe gas connection in all the cities of the country.”

In the energy sector, India has made rapid progress, ensuring universal access to cooking gas connections, reducing dependence on traditional biomass fuels. The country is now moving towards piped gas connections across all cities.

Reaffirming India’s position as the fastest-growing large economy, Goyal expressed confidence that this momentum will continue for years to come, fueled by strong infrastructure investment and economic policies.